The family life cycle in Malta : a conceptual and empirical evaluation

Abstract

In the practice and study of the marketing discipline in the past years there has been a growing interest in studying consumption at the family or household level rather than solely at that of the individual for certain product categories or consumer behaviour situations. This has been due to the recognition that in many situations consumption decisions are taken more within the context of the aggregate level of the family or household rather than at the individual level. This does not necessarily imply that multiple individuals are involved in all consumption decision-making in the household, but rather that the particular conditions prevailing within a household, with the members' diverse needs and circumstances exert considerable influence on the purchase decision-making process. As shall be seen in chapter 2 of this dissertation, however, when a review of the literature on the Family Life Cycle concept will be undertaken, interest in the concept of the Family Life Cycle has existed for many decades, both in marketing as well as in other disciplines. While the concept originated in England at the turn of the century, the development of theory related to the Family Life Cycle in marketing, has been led by North American academics and is practically only four decades old. The North American influence is evident in the literature on the concept which is based on the realities prevailing in that particular culture. This has led to a field of study which is ethnocentric in nature. This dissertation attempts to validate the conceptual nature of the concept within the Maltese context. After reviewing the relevant literature on the subject, the demographic, social, legal and cultural dimensions of Maltese society will be discussed, and a Family Life Cycle framework more applicable to Maltese society will be proposed in Chapter 3.